A Greater Mission
by OneDarkandStormyNight
Summary: The Doc's reaction to finding that Marty McFly's future is a failure, with a lost family and a terminated job, and his severe motivation for constructing plans to save it in the opening scene of the second movie. One-shot. Pre-BTTF2 NOT SLASH


_When I watched the second BTTF yesterday for the first time in months, I couldn't resist the urge to add it to my FanFiction drabbles (despite the fact that I have a million unfinished fics I __**should**__ be working on…*hehe*).  
__The setting is directly in between the final scene of 1 and the opening scene of 2, when Doc is looking into Marty's future life, as promised.  
__This is my first remote attempt at writing Back to the Future fan fiction, and remember that it was written within the space of 45 minutes last night at 1 o'clock in the morning. Let me know where I can improve!  
__~Rin~  
__Oh! And one more thing: I WILL NOT WRITE DOC/MARTY SLASH. Just thought you should know before you read. :) Not only does it gross me out, I'm just not good at romances in general. *blushes*  
__Enjoy!_

**A Greater Mission**

"Look me up when you get there," Marty had requested.

Well, he did. It was, after all, the least he could do. The kid had saved his life; not just that, but he'd also given him something to look forward to — something to anticipate. For thirty years after that fateful night when he'd watched his new friend disappear in an explosion of blue light, he'd worked and waited for the hour when he'd finally be united with him in that empty parking lot.

Hill Valley had always referred to him as "Loony Brown," which, oddly enough, never actually bothered him. Then, in 1955, a humorously desperate and brashly sarcastic teenager appeared on his doorstep and informed him that he was a Future Boy. After that, Emmet Brown passed the scale model of downtown Hill Valley every day and rolled his eyes at the memories, glancing at the self-made calendar of the year 1985 and smiling to himself as he went on his way to creating the Flux Capacitor.

In 1983, the same brave kid rung his doorbell, with a note from his science teacher, signed by his mother, stating that he needed science tutoring or he would fail 9th grade. (1)

From then on, everything in his life had changed.

After the initial adversity to being forced into schoolwork was passed, Marty became the one person who supported him, despite the fact that talk was all over the small town of Hill Valley that that kid McFly was hanging around "Loony Brown." Mr. Strickland called him a slacker to his face for helping with various experiments and inventions instead of doing his math homework, Mrs. Osprey whispered to her knitting club about her worry that Dr. Brown's peculiarity would affect the boy psychologically, Mr. Jacobson chuckled to his fellow pool players about what losers they both must be that they'd have one another for a friend, Needles started a name-calling epidemic that stuck at the high school, and on and on it went.

Still, Marty showed up at 8 o'clock every morning on his way to school to greet him and Einie, stuff his face full of biscuit or whatever else was lying about in the kitchen, exclaim at 8:25 that he was late, then hitch a ride on the closest bumper as he called breathlessly over his shoulder, "See you after school, Doc!"

Sometimes the Doc wondered if Marty even had any other friends. After he met Jennifer, he even pulled her along some days when she wanted to hang out, grinning and explaining the Doc's latest project to her as she listened with affectionate attention.

That semi-rebellious, foul-mouthed teenager had done more for him than he probably realized. He owed it to him to ensure his future came out the way he deserved.

Now, he and Einie peeked through the dirtied living room window, watching as Martin McFly Senior buried his years-aged and permanently troubled face in his scarred hands, the newspaper that had the story of his daughter's 20-year jail sentence plastered on the front page lying where it had fallen on the alcohol-littered coffee table.

That spunky, ambitious kid he knew was going to grow up to be a disappointed factory worker, with both children behind bars, a dangerously strained marriage, no job, and an alcohol problem.

Dr. Emmett Brown's eyes clouded and Einstein whimpered at the sight.

Without warning, the years-older Marty whispered something in a hoarse, slurred voice that sent a shock through Emmett.

"Doc…I wish you were here." A half-muffled sniff. "I need your help. I need you, Doc."

_Great Scott…_

After all this time, all these many years, Marty still thought of him, still _needed_ him.

Without warning, the Doc clutched Einie's collar and yanked him away from the window, back through the bushes toward the road where the DeLorean was perched on the curb.

Who cared _where_ we were going, and _why_? Dr. Emmett Brown had a greater mission than answers to universal questions. He had a life to fix — a life that was much more important than any scientific breakthrough.

* * *

(1) Item 1: There was never a set basis as to how and why Doc and Marty actually met, right? I know there wasn't in the movies, but I just wanted to make sure. (FYI, if there isn't, I'll probably end up changing this scenario if need be for another fic. Thanks!) And Item 2: If Marty was seventeen in 1985, that would make him in 9th grade in 1983, right? *hehe* I loathe math!

* * *

_Well, there it is! My very first BTTF fanfic. Was it in-character? Is there any place where I can improve? Did you enjoy it? Should I write more? Let me know in a review! *wink wink*_


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